When somebody mentions Simone Zaza, all you can think of is him deciding to do the “Running Man” challenge before taking a penalty at the Euros. But to judge your opinion of a player on a single penalty they took is, quite simply, ridiculous. So we at ReadWestHam thought we’d give you more of an insight into the Italian international.
People seem to quickly forget who West Ham are signing Zaza from. There’s a reason why he plays for Juventus and why they forked out €18m for him in the first place. They see a lot of potential in Zaza and if it wasn’t for their elite strike force, would have given him much more game time. It’s also worth mentioning that they would have paid much more for him had there not been a clause in his contract at Sassuolo which allowed him to purchased by the Italian champions for €18m.
His goalscoring record may not look amazing at Juventus, with eight goals in 24 games, but he was primarily used off the bench. When he was being used more regularly, he had the best goals-to-minutes ratio of any Juventus striker – above Mandzukic, Dybala and Morata. He also had a reputation for scoring goals at important moments for the Old Lady, with lots of late winners coming as a result of his impact from the bench.
The same story can be told for his international record of one goal in 14 appearances – he has only really been used as a sub late on in games, just like we saw at the Euros. Antonio Conte held a lot of faith in Zaza though and continually included him in the Italy squad despite his lack of game time. The new Chelsea manager having this much confidence in him alone should be enough for West Ham fans. The fact that some Juventus fans do not want Zaza to leave the club also tells you that he was a valued member of the squad.
YouTube: Simone Zaza | Juventus | 2015/2016 Overall
Before he moved to the Italian champions he was on the scoresheet much more regularly. He scored 18 goals in a season for Ascoli and was Sassuolo’s most reliable striker and top scorer before he moved to Juventus.
Zaza’s style of play will suit Bilic brilliantly. He is a strong player and can hold the ball up well, but has also got a fierce strike on him with his left foot and is definitely capable of finishing most chances. At 6”1, he also excels in the air and most importantly for the West Ham manager, has an excellent work rate – he can often be seen tracking back and winning the ball. Joining up with former Juventus player Angelo Ogbonna will hopefully help him settle quickly, as will having other Italian speakers in the squad as well as Bilic himself.
Seeing him start against Manchester City on Sunday will be a welcome sight for West Ham fans and, who knows, he could play a pivotal part in another shock win.
